Vatican appeals for generous support for Good Friday collection for Holy Land

(March 02, 2012) A Vatican official has appealed to the Catholic Church worldwide to show their solidarity with the Christians of the Holy Land during the current Lenten season by promoting initiatives of prayer and brotherly charity. In a letter to bishops worldwide, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Eastern Churches urged for widespread and generous participation in the traditional Good Friday collection for the Holy Land, inviting all Christian communities to stand by the side of the Christians of Jerusalem, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, as well as the surrounding regions of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Cyprus and Egypt. The Good Friday collection is coordinated by the Congregation for Eastern Churches. Cardinal Sandri reminded the bishops of the world about Pope Benedict XVI’s constant request for a generous support to the Church’s mission in the holy places, where besides the pastoral mission, the Church also renders praiseworthy social service to all without distinction. “In this way, fraternity, which can overcome division and discrimination, increases and gives renewed impetus to ecumenical dialogue and interreligious collaboration,” Cardinal Sandri wrote in the letter. He said “This is an admirable work of peace and reconciliation, which is all the more necessary today, as we share the Holy Father's preoccupation” for the region hit by violence, particularly Syria and the Holy Land. The cardinal also noted that lack of peace which denies hope has forced many a Christian to abandon his or her own country. The letter of the head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Oriental Churches also listed a summary of various works carried out by the Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Land with the money received from the Good Friday collection of the past two years. They include initiatives such as improving facilities for pilgrims at the holy sites, providing university scholarships, counselling, housing, medical care to families, construction or reconstruction projects at Catholic parishes and schools